Chapter 422 Their entire family should be executed.
Who was Pu Tonghe? Born into a humble family, he rose through the ranks to become Minister of Personnel, handpicked by the current emperor. Having served in this position for seven or eight years, his protégés and former subordinates were scattered throughout the court. How exactly did Jiang Yu manage to bring him down?
All those present were heads of the three provinces and six ministries; who among them wasn't shrewd and insightful? After a moment's thought, they connected the series of recent events.
At the Princess's banquet, the Crown Prince saved Pu Tong and his eldest daughter's lives. Afterwards, news spread that the Crown Prince intended to take her as a concubine. The Emperor neither explicitly agreed nor outright refused, and the matter was temporarily shelved.
Following this, the incident of the Marquis of Chengen suppressing bandits caused a great stir, and everyone's attention was drawn to the newly developed weapons of Prince Rui, seemingly overshadowing the previous rumors about the Crown Prince and the Pu family. However, everyone knew that the Emperor had never truly intended for the Crown Prince to inherit the throne; the Crown Prince was merely a "target" that had been pushed forward.
So, was it really just a coincidence that the Crown Prince saved Pu Tonghe's daughter that day?
Could there really be so many coincidences in this world? People couldn't help but suspect that Pu Tonghe had already secretly colluded with the Crown Prince. In other words, he had long since betrayed the Emperor's will. But the question is, why?
Was Pu Tonghe really that foolish? Everyone knew that he rose to the position of Minister of Personnel not through luck, but through exceptional skill and political acumen. How could someone who could manage the Ministry of Personnel so effectively be oblivious to the changing winds?
This means that the Crown Prince isn't solely supported by the Earl of Qingshan. He likely holds some unknown leverage. What is it?
All eyes involuntarily turned to the Prime Minister. When the Emperor initially intended to appoint a Crown Prince, the Prime Minister vehemently opposed it, advocating instead for the Eighth Prince. Even now, though the Prime Minister and the Crown Prince seemed to have no connection, many still doubted this.
So the question arises: why would the Prime Minister support the Crown Prince? This added even more doubt to the minds of everyone present.
"Your Majesty, I am innocent!"
Pu Tonghe's piercing screams pulled everyone's thoughts back to the hall. He was kneeling on the ground, his body trembling, his forehead pressed against the cold blue bricks, his sweat-drenched hair plastered to his face, his voice hoarse:
"Your Majesty, please understand! I have never engaged in corruption or embezzlement; I have been framed! I beg Your Majesty to do justice for me!"
The emperor snorted coldly and threw a stack of papers at Pu Tonghe. The papers scattered and landed on his head and shoulders before sliding to the ground, the writing on them still clearly visible.
Pu Tonghe's pupils contracted sharply. He hurriedly picked up a piece of paper and examined it closely. The more he looked, the more alarmed and helpless he became. The paper in his hand felt as heavy as a thousand pounds, and he trembled so much that he could barely hold it. He suddenly looked up at Jiang Yu, his face full of doubt. He had been hiding so well; how had Jiang Yu managed to find this evidence so quietly?
Jiang Yu noticed his gaze, but merely glanced at him calmly, her eyes showing neither disdain nor smugness. However, it was precisely this calmness that made Pu Tonghe even more unable to accept it.
He frantically flipped through another sheet of paper, then the next… with each sheet he looked at, his face grew paler. Finally, he collapsed to the ground, utterly powerless to struggle.
The emperor looked at him coldly and asked in a deep voice, "Do you have anything else to say?"
Pu Tong turned his head blankly and looked at Jiang Yu again: "This evidence... was it found by the Duke of Chu?"
Jiang Yu remained calm and replied in her usual tone, "Yes."
"How did the Duke of Chu find out about these things?" Pu Tonghe pressed through gritted teeth. This question also piqued the curiosity of everyone present, who all listened intently.
Jiang Yu spoke slowly, her tone unhurried, as if giving a routine report: "Everything done will leave a trace. The dossier is the most truthful piece of evidence."
He paused, then continued, "In the Ministry of Personnel's appointment and dismissal records, there are records of you skipping the normal procedures and privately appointing officials; in the Ministry of Revenue's money ledgers, several large sums of money with unclear destinations were found, all of which point to you."
As for the officials you interact closely with, their tax and other accounts in their respective jurisdictions can be easily verified and compared horizontally and vertically, revealing numerous flaws. By comparing these different types of files side-by-side, all the loopholes will be exposed. Following these loopholes further, the evidence will naturally emerge.
“I see,” Pu Tonghe murmured.
He bowed his head and kowtowed repeatedly to the emperor, his voice choked with tears: "Your Majesty, I confess my guilt! But my entire family, relatives, and friends are all innocent and have never participated in my corrupt activities. I beg Your Majesty to have mercy and spare their lives! I am willing to bear all the blame, even if I am torn to pieces, I will have no complaints!"
He prostrated himself on the ground, weeping silently. The emperor stared at him with icy eyes, his anger blazing: "I promoted you with my own hands and trusted you so much, entrusting you with such an important position as Minister of Personnel! Yet you repay my trust with corruption, collusion, and the corruption of the court!"
The emperor's voice was filled with a fierce, clenched-teeth tone: "Pu Tonghe, you deserve to die!"
"This sinner deserves to die!" Pu Tonghe dared not plead any longer and prostrated himself on the ground, trembling all over.
The emperor stared at him coldly for a moment, then looked at the prime minister and asked, "What does the prime minister think should be done with him?"
Zhao Fuquan immediately stepped forward, took the stack of incriminating evidence from Pu Tonghe, and presented it to the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister forced a calm expression, carefully flipping through the pages one by one. When he reached the last page, he looked up at Jiang Yu and said indifferently, "The Duke of Chu has quite the methods."
He lightly traced the edge of the paper with his fingertips, his tone seemingly appreciative, but a hint of barely perceptible gloom lurked in his eyes: "In just a few days, you've managed to uncover such a coherent and irrefutable piece of evidence. His Majesty was right to entrust the investigation to you."
Jiang Yu naturally sensed that this was not a sincere compliment, and simply smiled faintly: "You flatter me, Prime Minister. I will do my best to complete the task assigned by His Majesty."
The Prime Minister also smiled, but it was a forced smile, the smile not reaching his eyes. He averted his gaze, rose, cupped his hands in a respectful gesture, and spoke with a firm and resolute tone:
"Pu Tonghe's corruption and collusion have corrupted the government and undermined discipline. The evidence against him is irrefutable, and his actions have shaken the foundation of the nation. I believe that his entire family should be executed to uphold the law. This will not only demonstrate the majesty of the court but also serve as a warning to all officials, deterring them from engaging in corrupt practices again!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Pu Tonghe looked up abruptly, his face a mixture of shock and disbelief. The Prime Minister met his gaze, his eyes suddenly darkening, a coldness carrying a blatant warning.
Pu Tonghe's pupils contracted, he hesitated, then swallowed his words, his lips pressed into a thin white line, and he fell heavily back to the ground, never daring to raise his head again.
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